With elections for governor and 50 city councilors coming up, here’s the foundation for understanding everything that follows.

Why it matters: Every story about flooding, transit, traffic, potholes or budget fights traces back to one document: the 1985 Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. It defines what Bangkok can do, who answers to whom and where the city’s hands are tied.

This special issue looks at what the BMA Act, last amended in 2019, and related laws actually say. You can dig deeper into the legal text in English here, too.

Bangkok’s government has three parts, but residents only vote for two.

The governor is the executive. They’re directly elected to a four-year term, limited to two terms. The governor appoints up to four deputies and nine advisors to run city departments.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Council is the legislature. Each district elects one representative to a four-year term. Candidates don’t have to live in their elected district. The body consists of a president and up to two vice presidents.

The permanent bureaucrats, led by the Permanent Secretary, handle daily operations to maintain institutional continuity during political transitions.

The governor directs policy, issues executive orders, approves everything related to Bangkok management, executes city ordinances and commands all BMA civil service.

Big picture: Unlike other provinces, split between appointed governors and local municipalities, Bangkok’s governor holds both administrative roles simultaneously

Yes, but… The governor remains subordinate to the national government. The position must legally execute orders from the prime minister, the Cabinet and the interior minister. The governor also lacks the authority to dissolve the BMC.

The governor makes 113,560 baht a month, while their deputies make 90,320 baht. Secretaries and advisors make between 37,950 and 52,290 baht.

A permanent civil service is organized into departments. These handle defined areas like public works, health, education, city planning and drainage — each run by an appointed director who answers to the governor and the permanent secretary.

The 50 district offices are the most resident-facing layer. Each is headed by an appointed district director responsible for day-to-day services within the district, like road repairs, public cleanliness, registration and local permits.

The body passes Bangkok ordinances, approves the annual budget and can question the executive branch in open session. But its power faces strict boundaries.

On legislation: The BMC can’t legislate outside areas explicitly granted to the BMA by national law. Penalties in city ordinances are capped at six months in prison and a 10,000-baht fine.

On the governor: Members can submit written questions to the governor on any BMA matter, though the governor can decline to answer. A three-quarters supermajority is needed to override a governor’s veto on legislation.

On sessions: The BMC meets for two to four 30-day sessions a year. Sessions are public by default but can be closed upon executive request. Councilors can debate issues but are barred from voting to force an outcome on those issues. They also can’t debate anything outside the city’s authority.

On committees: The BMC can form committees to study or investigate issues and summon BMA officials to testify.

Yes, but… Councilors lack legal immunity and face personal liability for statements made in the chamber, unlike members of Parliament. They don’t have a dedicated budget for assistants. They can’t remove the governor.

The BMC president and vice presidents make 73,560 and 61,140 baht a month, respectively. General members make 48,450 baht.

The BMA Act assigns Bangkok responsibility across 27 areas, including roads and drainage, traffic engineering, hospitals, education, urban planning, environmental protection, social welfare, building control, public parks, sports promotion, flood prevention, markets and cultural preservation.

The catch: Any power that belongs to the central government or other agencies can only be handed to Bangkok by Royal Decree or ministerial regulation. Bangkok can’t claim it on its own.

That’s why Bangkok can’t order the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, the BMTA or other state agencies to do anything. Those bodies answer to national ministries, not City Hall.

Bangkok relies heavily on the central government for its finances.

Local revenue collections account for roughly one-third of the city’s operational budget. The remainder comes from shared national tax revenue, alongside central government subsidies strictly regulated by the Interior Ministry.

Income Bangkok generates itself includes property tax, building and land tax, signage tax, permit fees and fines from local law violations, among others.

Bangkok operates under oversight, and the interior ministry holds most of the levers.

On the governor: The Cabinet, on the interior minister’s recommendation, can remove the governor for misconduct, negligence or conduct likely to cause harm to the city or public order — without waiting for an election.

On the council: The interior minister can dissolve the BMC if the governor requests and makes a case that the BMA-BMC relationship is damaging Bangkok or the broader public interest. The minister can also dissolve the body on the Cabinet’s own initiative.

The minister can order investigations into BMA operations, request explanations from the governor, block actions that conflict with the law or Cabinet policy and set conditions on how central government subsidies are used.

Voters have two formal tools under the BMA Act, outside of elections.

First, they can petition the BMC directly to introduce an ordinance — the process follows the national law and local legislation petitions.

Second, they can initiate a recall vote against the governor or any councilor. If a recall vote removes all councilors simultaneously, the law treats it as an automatic dissolution of the BMC, triggering a new election.

Sidewalk and road digging: District office (BMA) for surface paving. But the repeated tearing up of pavement is by separate utility timelines outside the city's hands: MEA for power lines, MWA for water pipes and private telecom firms for cables.

Taxi and tuk-tuk idling: The Metropolitan Police Bureau for illegal parking enforcement, fines and towing. The Department of Land Transport regulates public vehicle licensing and service standards.

Air pollution: BMA monitors local air quality and enforces temporary restrictions during a crisis. Vehicle emission standards are set by the Land Transport Department, and factory emissions are controlled by the Industrial Works Department.

Nominee and “grey-market” businesses: District office for building codes, zoning rules and sanitary permits. Checking for business structures falls under the Business Development Department, foreign labor tracking under the Labor Ministry and residency status under the Immigration Bureau.

Bus services: The BMTA answers to the Transport Ministry, not the BMA. The city can advocate and negotiate, but can’t compel route changes or fare adjustments.

Footpath and sidewalk obstructions: District office (BMA for sidewalks. But utility boxes, poles and telecoms infrastructure on those sidewalks belong to other agencies.

Soiciety is hosting two walks through Asoke Montri Road, timed to the upcoming gubernatorial election. We’ll explore the fragmented authority described in this explainer and what candidates promise across a 2.5-kilometer stretch.

🗺️ Seven stops, seven examples of the gap between what Bangkok promises and what it can actually control: transit ticketing, the Makkasan accident site, Khlong Saen Saeb, pedestrian crossings, overhead cables, bus shelters and public space

📅 Join us on June 20 or June 27 (Saturday) at 5-6:30 p.m. Both dates cover the same route and content. Spots are limited. You can register here.

Separate private arrangements are available upon request.